Healing Touch
by AnnieBooker
Summary: When Daniel's returned as a child, Jack struggles to understand why and Daniel struggles to cope with the gift he's been given.
1. Chapter 1

Healing Touch

**Healing Touch **

**BY**

**Annie**

Jack was running, faster than he'd ever run before in his life, breath heaving from his lungs, his knees complaining with a fiery ache as he hurtled down the stony hillside into the small village a klick or so from the stargate. He burst through the doorway of the rough-hewn hut he was directed to. "Where is he?" he asked, barely able to get the words out.

Colonel Reynolds moved away from the bed he was standing in front of and pointed at the figure cowering on it.

Jack stepped closer, pulled the blankets away then turned back to Reynolds. "Is this some sort of joke?" he growled. "It's a kid, Reynolds. Where the hell's Daniel?"

Reynolds shrugged. "The villagers said they found him in the woods. He said his name is Daniel Jackson." He waited a heartbeat then said, "He recognized me, Jack, called me by name. It's Daniel."

Jack shook his head in disbelief then bent over the child on the bed. The boy looked to be about five years old and he looked terrified. "Hey," Jack said quietly, placing a gentle hand on the boy's head, "it's okay." He looked into the child's eyes. There was something there, some indefinable recognition that Jack couldn't pinpoint. "Daniel? Is that your name?"

The child's eyes filled with tears and he held up his arms in the age-old gesture of small children everywhere.

Jack responded without thinking, picking him up. Small arms wound around his neck and a damp face snuggled into his neck.

"Jack," the boy whispered through his tears. "Why'd you take so long to come get me?"

Jack held the boy away from him and looked into the suddenly familiar blue eyes. "Daniel?"

Daniel nodded and tried to snuggle in close again but Jack held him back. "What happened to you?" Jack asked harshly. "You died."

Daniel shook his head. "I ascended then Oma sent me back. Sent me here where you'd find me. You took so long. I didn't think you were ever coming. I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"No!" The denial was on Jack's lips quickly. "We never forgot you, Daniel. It just took us a while to work out where you were." He pulled the boy against him now, one hand cupping the back of the small head. "We missed you. Who did this to you?"

"I told you," Daniel said patiently. "Oma did it. I said I wanted to go back and she made me like this."

"Why?"

"So I could make a difference-"

"Sir!" Reynold's voice was harsh. "We've got incoming Hat'acs. We really need to get out of here."

"They know I'm here," Daniel whispered, his face buried against Jack's neck. "They want to kill me. They'll kill everyone."

"Who will?" Jack shook Daniel a little.

"Anubis' forces. He wants to find me." Daniel looked up, his face white and strained.

"Sir?" Reynolds stood in the doorway, his weapon aimed at the sky outside the hut.

"Evacuate the village. Take them through the gate," Jack ordered. He clasped Daniel to him tightly. "Keep your head down, Daniel. We're going home."

The run for the gate took almost every ounce of stamina Jack had. The child... Daniel... a heavy, precious weight as he dodged the strafing ground-fire of the enemy ships. Daniel clung tightly to him, the child's breathing verging on sobs, his face hot against Jack's neck.

"Scared," Daniel whispered. "I'm scared."

"We're almost there," Jack shouted above the explosions and the gunfire. And they were, he realized as he looked up and saw the gate just a few long steps away.

"Everyone's through, sir!" Reynolds shouted, his gun up and firing towards a ship that was bearing down on them.

"Go through!" Jack yelled. He saw Reynolds turn and throw himself into the wormhole, and then he and Daniel were there too, the vortex only inches away. He grasped Daniel even more closely to him then lunged forward, a lightning flash of pain igniting in his back as they tumbled into safety.

He landed facedown on the ramp, stunned, pain washing down his back and legs, the child tumbling from his arms.

"Get a medical team here!" he heard Hammond call.

There was a small hand on his face and Jack turned his head to see Daniel next to him, eyes wide with fright, tears dripping steadily down his grimy, whitewashed cheeks.

"Jack," the boy whispered, "don't die."

Jack struggled to speak, to get words out to reassure him but the pain was overwhelming and he let his head slump down onto the ramp.

Daniel bent low over him, his arms wrapping around Jack's shoulders, his head pressed to Jack's. "Don't die," Daniel whispered.

Warmth flooded through Jack's body, flowed down his wounded back and his legs and the pain disappeared. Daniel moved away, his face even paler than before, sweat beading his forehead. Jack rolled to his back then sat up, his hands going to the massive wound he knew he must have suffered. Feeling nothing amiss, he looked at his hands. Nothing – no blood. He made it to his knees and looked at Daniel. "What did you do?" he asked.

Daniel looked up at him, a small smile on his face. "I made a difference," he said then his eyes closed and he fell forward into Jack's arms.

Jack rolled him onto his back, cradling Daniel's head in his lap, a hand brushing across Daniel's too-warm forehead. "No," he whispered, "not now, Daniel, not now. Stay with me."

Daniel's eyes opened and he smiled up at Jack. "It worked," he said. "You're okay."

Jack shook his head. "Not unless you are, I'm not. Don't you think about leaving again." His voice was gruff but tears burnt his eyes. He rubbed them away impatiently. Hands hauled him up, took Daniel from him and laid the child on the ramp while the medics checked him over.

A gurney was rolled to the foot of the ramp and Daniel was lifted onto it, Jack waving away the second stretcher. "I'm fine," he all but growled as he made to follow Daniel.

"You sure, Jack?" Reynolds was at his shoulder, a hand under Jack's elbow that he shook off impatiently. "Looked like you took a blast square in the back."

Jack walked away from him, his gaze focused on the boy being wheeled away. "Does it look like I'm hurt?" he snapped over his shoulder. "I'll be in the infirmary with Daniel."

oOo

Jack squirmed in the chair, trying to get comfortable. He'd been left waiting here for what seemed hours now, though he knew it was in reality only a half hour or so. The nurse had done her thing, checking him over to make sure he was as uninjured as he said he was and then he'd been told to wait here till Doctor Fraiser came to speak to him.

"Sir?" Carter appeared at his side, her features strained and her voice tense. "You okay? Colonel Reynolds said you took a staff blast in the back." She peered over his shoulder then tentatively placed a hand gently on his back. "Wow!' she whispered.

"What?" he snapped back.

"There's a huge hole in your shirt, sir, but no sign of a wound. Could you lean forward a little?"

He sighed then obeyed, turning under the direction of her hands so he was sitting sideways in the chair.

"The edges of the hole are soaked in blood, sir." Carter sounded stunned and Jack decided he couldn't really blame her. He was feeling a little that way himself.

"Daniel did something," he muttered.

"So it is really him?" Carter's eyes were damp now and he reached out and patted her arm.

"Yeah, it's him. I'm sure of it. I'm just-" he swallowed, tried to get enough moisture in his mouth to go on. "I'm just worried that whatever he did to save me might have killed him." He looked up at Carter, despair lacing his voice. "We might have got him back just to lose him for good."

"No!" Carter shook her head, tears now spilling freely down her cheeks. "No, that can't happen. He's a fighter, sir. Daniel's always come back."

Jack wondered whether she was trying to convince him or herself but he nodded. "Yeah, that he has. Dammit!" He stood, paced towards the door of the infirmary then took a step back as a diminutive whirlwind in the form of Dr. Fraiser shoved the door open and stepped out. "Well?" he demanded.

"He's okay. He seems to be exhausted but he's relatively fine." Janet Fraiser shook her head as she looked up at him. "He's Daniel, sir. No doubt about it. I'm pretty sure he's not a clone." She smiled shakily. "It's Daniel."

Jack just nodded. Words were beyond him right now. He motioned at the door and raised an eyebrow.

Fraiser nodded and looked at Carter apologetically. "Sorry, Sam, one visitor at a time for now. You can see him soon."

Carter nodded. "That's okay," she whispered, rubbing her cheeks with one hand. "As long as he's back and he's okay, I can wait." She stopped then gave Jack a grin. "He's a kid? Oh boy, he's gonna hate that."

"I'll tell him you said hi," Jack said, finally getting his voice back as he opened the door to the infirmary and walked inside.

Daniel was in a bed that was set up in the middle of the infirmary, away from the rest of the beds and close to the nurses desk. The siderails on the bed were raised and Jack walked up, resting both hands on them as he looked down at the child he was sure was his best friend. He stretched out a hand and brushed the wispy hair away from the boy's eyes. Daniel seemed out for the count and Jack hooked over a rolling chair with his foot, sat down on it and rested his elbows on the rails, his chin on his folded arms while he looked his fill at one more miracle in the life of Daniel Jackson. "You've gotta stop doing this stuff to me, Daniel," he murmured. "I don't think the old ticker can take it anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased as hell to have you back. I'm talking about the dying stuff. Each time it gets harder to believe you're coming back."

Daniel stirred and Jack held his breath but the boy just turned onto his side, one hand resting beneath his cheek. He made a sucking motion with his lips and Jack smiled. Tentatively, he rubbed a gentle hand over Daniel's back, soothing the child back to sleep. As soon as Daniel stopped moving, and began to breathe more restfully, Jack closed his own eyes and let his exhaustion overtake him.

"_Wake up."_

_The voice tugged at him, drawing slowly but inexorably closer to waking. A gentle touch to his cheek annoyed him and he swatted at the hand. "Moooom, just five more minutes," he moaned._

"_It has been some time since anyone called me mother," a voice said._

_Jack startled awake, the chair he was sitting on toppling over to land loudly on the floor behind him. He looked quickly over at the bed, hoping the noise hadn't frightened Daniel. The bed was empty and Jack looked around, fear causing his heart to clench within his chest. God! Had it all been a dream, finding Daniel..._

"_It was no dream," the voice said._

_Jack turned around. Floating before him was an ethereal white light. "Oma?" he asked._

_The light dispersed into the form of the woman who had taken Daniel away from them. "It is good to see you again, Colonel... May I call you Jack? That is what Daniel calls you..."_

_He nodded quickly. "Sure, whatever. Where's Daniel?" He could feel his heart still racing and he turned again just to make sure his eyes hadn't deceived him, hoping against hope to see the child curled up, sleeping peacefully still on the bed._

"_You haven't lost him again, Jack," Oma said. "I did not return him only to take him from you once more."_

"_Then where the hell is he?" Jack asked, swinging around to face her. "And why the hell did you do that to him anyway? Turn him into a kid? And what's with the healing stuff?"_

"_I will answer your questions in due course, Jack."_

"_What? No riddles this time, no deep and meaningful words that really aren't all that deep and meaningful anyway," Jack snapped back. He stepped closer to her, wishing she was corporeal so he could grab her by the shoulders and shake some of the same sense of urgency into her that he was feeling._

"_No riddles," Oma replied. "I simply wish to show you Daniel as he was... as he would have become had I not intervened."_

oOo

Jack startled awake at the touch of a hand on his. "What?"

Daniel was kneeling up on the bed, small arms resting on his thighs. He still looked pale but there was a faint tinge of pink to his cheeks now and the dark shadows had disappeared from beneath his eyes. "I had a bad dream," he said, his voice wobbling, his eyes damp with tears. "I dreamed you were dead."

Jack released the catch for the bedrails and lowered them then reached over and lifted Daniel from the bed, settling him on his lap. "I'm not dead," he said reassuringly. "You healed me, do you remember that?"

Daniel shook his head slowly. "I don't remember. I just remember you being dead." A sob broke through the words and Daniel buried his head against Jack's chest and cried.

Jack tightened his arms around him, rubbed his back, soothed with words till the tears stopped. "Daniel, listen to me," he said finally, placing a finger beneath Daniel's chin and tipping his head up so he could look into his eyes. "Do you remember Oma?"

Daniel nodded. "She took care of me before I came here," he said. "She said she was sending back to you because it was what I wanted. She said my journey was just beginning again, that I had to start over so I could do what mattered most to me."

Jack screwed his eyes shut and tried to focus on the dream he'd had. It had all seemed clear when he'd dreamed it. Now, the memory was losing cohesiveness, Oma's words skittering from him the more he tried to remember. "Do you remember being big?" he asked.

"Yes." Daniel's eyes filled with tears again. "I missed you. I wanted to come back but Oma said I'd made my choice, that sometimes choices have to be hard, or else we don't learn from them."

"What did you learn, Daniel?" The voice came from somewhere behind Jack and he turned, seeing the ethereal white light there again. It moved closer and tiny tendrils wisped out to brush over Daniel's head.

"I learned that sometimes the easy part is giving up," the child whispered, "and when we give up, we sometimes lose more than we gain."

"Yes, Daniel. That's why I've returned you in this form. So you can begin again, start anew, make different choices." The light coalesced into Oma's recognizable form. "He has a gift now. The gift of healing, but the use of that gift will cost him dearly."

"Cost him what?" Jack flashed back to Daniel collapsing into his arms on the ramp.

"Each time he uses the gift, he will remain a child for one more of your years."

"Why?" Jack asked heatedly. "Why would you do that to him?"

"To teach," Oma replied, her form already fading away. "To teach that all gifts come with a price. And to give him each year as recompense for the childhood he already lived. Give him the childhood he should have had, Jack. This is Daniel's second chance."


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

Learning to Be Daniel

"You okay?" Jack looked down at Daniel who was pressed up against his leg as they stood in the doorway to the infirmary.

Daniel nodded, his fair hair flopping untidily over his forehead, into his eyes.

"You need a haircut," Jack said gruffly, running his fingers through the silky strands.

"Okay."

Jack took his hand and walked him back to the bed, lifting him up onto it. Daniel stayed there obediently and looked up into Jack's face.

"I need to ask you some stuff, Daniel, all right?" Jack pulled a chair over and sat down. "You know you're Daniel Jackson and that I'm Jack O'Neill, right?"

Daniel nodded.

"Okay, do you remember being here before?" Jack swept a hand around, encompassing the infirmary, a place that had become almost a home away from home for Daniel when he'd been part of SG1.

Daniel's eyebrows drew down and he nodded slowly. "I think so."

"How do you know me?" Jack asked.

Daniel shrugged then he smiled and pointed at his head. "Because you're in here," he replied.

"Right, of course. Shoulda realized that. Do you remember being with Oma?"

"A bit." Daniel shrugged again and his fingers twisted the bedcover.

"Do you remember asking Oma to send you back to us?" Jack asked.

"Yes. Oma said I was sad when I was with her. She asked what I wanted and I said I wanted to help people. She said I could begin again and have a new life and in my new life I could help people. Did I want that? I said yes and she made me go to sleep and I woke up with those people where you found me." Daniel's eyes grew grave and his lower lip trembled. "You're not sending me back there, are you? They were nice to me but I want to be with you."

"No!" Jack pulled the child to him. "We want you here with us. I won't let them send you anywhere."

"Can I live with you?" Daniel asked hesitantly. "I'll be good. I won't be any trouble."

"I doubt that," Jack murmured but he hugged the boy again. "I need to speak to the General and Doc Fraiser about that first. I'm gonna get Carter to sit with you a while. She's missed you. She really wants to see you. You remember Sam, right?"

Daniel nodded. "I know who she is. I just don't really remember knowing her when I was big."

"It'll all come back." Jack put Daniel back on the bed, ruffled his hair and walked out to the waiting area where predictably he found Carter waiting expectantly. "I need to go see the General. Can you sit with Daniel for a while?"

Carter shot out of her seat like a missile on a launch pad, a huge smile on her face. "Yes, sir."

"Don't expect too much, Sam," Jack said gently. "He knows who we are, knows we knew him before he ascended but he doesn't have any real memories of that time. It's more like he just knows instinctively we're his friends."

"I won't push it, sir. I'd just really like to see him."

"Okay, good. He's resting but he knows you're coming. I'll be back as soon as I can. Where's Teal'c? I thought he'd be here waiting his turn to see Daniel too."

"He said he was going to meditate. To tell the truth, sir, I think he's a little worried about seeing Daniel again, worried Daniel might remember-"

"About Sha're," Jack finished for her. He sighed. "I don't think so. I'll talk to Teal'c after I've spoken to the General and Doc Fraiser."

He watched her enter the infirmary then turned and headed for the elevator.

~oOo~

Sam almost ran into the infirmary but slowed to a hesitant walk as she approached Daniel's bed. God! Daniel's bed! She'd never thought she'd ever be able to imagine those words again, to think them aloud. Creeping forward as silently as possible, she sat down in the chair at the bedside and looked her fill. It was Daniel, she was sure of it, would have been sure just looking at this child's face. She could ***see*** Daniel here.

Drowsy blue eyes opened and fixed on her face as she watched. "Hi, Sam."

"Hi," she said, tears threatening to overflow. She bit down on her lip and reached out a hand to him, taking his small one in hers. "It's so good to see you. I missed you."

"Thanks," he said, the tone of it so adult and incongruous coming from his child's mouth that she squeezed his hand and then pulled hers back, tucking it under her thigh as if the very action could stem the questions wanting to pour forth from her lips.

"You okay?" she asked. "Do you need anything? Juice? Water?" She bit her lip before she could utter "toys?" and was relieved when he replied, "I'm fine." He yawned, showing tiny white teeth and then his eyes drifted shut again.

Once she was sure he was asleep, Sam pulled her hand out from under her leg and allowed herself to touch him, gently, her fingers smoothing down the blond hair, feeling the living warmth of him. Then she let the tears come, quietly, stifling the sobs in the fist of one hand while the other kept touch with the tangible proof that Daniel was back.

~oOo~

"Come in, Colonel," General Hammond said, glancing up as Jack knocked on his office door.

Jack stepped inside and stood tensely in front of the desk, giving Janet Fraiser a quick nod of acknowledgment.

Hammond smiled up at him. "Relax, Jack, have a seat." He waited till Jack sat down then went on. "Dr. Fraiser here tells me Daniel's ready to leave the infirmary."

Jack nodded. "He wants to go home with me, sir."

"I see. I'm not totally surprised by that," Hammond replied. He looked over at Fraiser. "Doctor, any thoughts?"

"I don't have any objections to that but Colonel O'Neill would have to be taken off the active duty roster for now," she said.

"Why?" Jack asked, surprised. "Plenty of the SGC frontline personnel have families."

"That's true, but none of them are single parents of newly descended five year olds with strange powers," she replied sharply.

"Point taken," he agreed dryly. "Okay, so what then? Do we stand down SG1 completely?"

"Why don't we give your team a couple of week's downtime and take it from there?" Hammond suggested. "God knows, you all deserve a break. I know it hasn't been easy for any of you losing Dr. Jackson and then operating as a three man team-"

"Please don't tell me I should have let Jonas Quinn join SG1," Jack interrupted. "I couldn't. It wouldn't have been fair on the guy. Every time I see him I still can't help thinking that-"

"What happened to Daniel was his fault," Janet finished for him. She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Jonas understands that, Colonel. He still blames himself but he's happy working with SG4. He's made himself a part of their team."

"Good. So… can I take Daniel home now?" Jack stood up.

"Yes." Janet nodded, standing as well. "I'll go back with you. I want to say goodbye to him. I want you to bring him back in a few days for a check up though."

Hammond stood up. "Well, guess I'll come along too. I haven't really had a chance to see him at all since he got back."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, sir," Jack said. "You two go on ahead. There's someone missing from this little reunion and I need to go pry him out of his cave."

~o0o~

Jack knocked once on Teal'c's door then pushed it open when he was told to enter.

Teal'c was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the room but there were no candles lit and it didn't look like he was in the middle of Kel'no'reem so Jack started in right away.

"Doc says I can take Daniel home with me," Jack said.

"That is good news," Teal'c replied as he stood up. "It means the child is not injured or ill."

"Nope, Fraiser says he's fine. How about you? How are you doing?" Jack asked, lounging up against the doorframe.

"I am well. I was not injured."

"You haven't been to see the kid either."

"No." Teal'c crossed to his desk and picked up a photograph in a frame. He held it out to Jack. "This was taken the first time you prevailed upon us to accompany you on a fishing trip," he said.

"I remember." Jack grinned as he looked at the photo. Daniel was soaking wet, having tumbled off a rock into the river. Teal'c was just as wet, having jumped in to pull him out. They had their arms around each other's shoulders. Daniel was grinning from ear to ear and Jack could see the sparkle of amusement in Teal'c's usually solemn eyes. "What's this got to do with you not seeing Daniel?" he asked as he handed the photo back.

"Does Daniel Jackson remember all that transpired in his life before now?" Teal'c asked.

"Not really." Jack sighed. "To tell the truth, I don't know. He remembers all of us but… You're worried he remembers what happened to Sha're, aren't you?"

"I am. Daniel Jackson and I were able to recover our friendship after I killed Sha're but it took many weeks before I felt that he truly trusted me and wanted my friendship again. I do not wish to be the reminder of that time for such a young child… Nor do I wish to experience the loss of his friendship again."

"Look, T, I can't tell you how he'll react to seeing you but don't you think, if he doesn't remember, he'll think it even stranger if you don't go visit him? What do I tell him if he asks?"

Teal'c placed the photo back on his desk then nodded slowly. "Very well. I will accompany you to see him."

~oOo~

Jack wasn't sure what he expected to happen when he pushed open the door to the infirmary and ushered Teal'c in ahead of him. Daniel had been quiet and almost restrained since they'd come back, a complete turnaround from the Daniel of old who'd have been analyzing everything that had happened vocally and verbosely. He watched as Teal'c walked to the end of Daniel's bed and stood there next to Carter.

Daniel looked up from his perusal of the book on his lap and across at Jack, giving him a beaming smile of recognition. "Hey, Jack," he called out.

"Hey, buddy." Jack walked over to the bed and stood next to Teal'c. "I brought someone else to see you."

Daniel followed Jack's movement with his eyes then said, "Hi, Teal'c, it's good to see you."

"As it is good to see you also, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied, inclining his head.

Daniel clambered up onto the mattress, accepting a helping hand from General Hammond to walk unsteadily up to the end of the bed where he stood directly in front of Teal'c. With one small hand he reached up, touching the Jaffa's cheek gently. "Don't be sad, Teal'c," he said solemnly. "We're still friends, aren't we?"

Teal'c nodded then scooped the child up into his arms. "Indeed we are, Daniel," he replied as Daniel wrapped his arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Sometimes hard decisions have to be made in the face of friendship," Daniel said as he pulled away.

"Oy," Jack muttered, "here we go with the Oma-talk again." He was somewhat relieved when Daniel turned and stuck his tongue out at him in a suitably 5 year old way.

"Can we go home now?" Daniel asked as Teal'c placed him on the floor.

"Yep," Jack said. He gave Daniel's current attire a once-over. "Might need to get you some other clothes first though-"

"Already taken care of, sir," Fraiser said, handing over a plastic bag filled with clothing. "Sergeant Masterson got her husband to drop these off a few minutes ago. Their son, Joe, is around Daniel's current age and they apparently have clothes to spare."

"Great, how about we get you changed and you can say bye to everyone and we'll head off then," Jack suggested.

"Okay," Daniel agreed cheerfully then went from person to person and delivered a goodbye hug and kiss on the cheek to each.

Jack grinned as he watched the General hug the boy back and tousle his hair, admonishing him to be good. Then he grabbed Daniel by the hand and started to lead him off to the bathroom to help him get changed.

Daniel jumped as the klaxon sounded loudly. He plastered himself against Jack's side, small fingers digging tightly into Jack's legs.

"Hey, it's okay," Jack soothed, managing to pry the clutching fingers loose long enough to get down on one knee.

Daniel immediately wrapped both arms around his neck and climbed up onto Jack's bent knee, burying his head against Jack's shoulder. "Something bad's happened," Daniel whimpered, his small shoulders shaking.

"Medical team to the Gateroom!" a voice called over the loudspeaker as the siren stopped.

Jack heard Fraiser shouting orders and then the sound of shoes clattering past at a run. "Hey," he murmured into Daniel's hair, rubbing one hand up and down the child's tense back, "it'll be fine."

Daniel shook his head. "It's something bad," he sobbed.

"Daniel, it's okay."

Jack looked up and saw Carter, Teal'c and Hammond standing around them, forming a protective half-circle.

"You are a brave warrior, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said and Daniel nodded furiously at that then reached one hand up till Teal'c grasped it.

"I'm trying to be," Daniel said quietly, his voice shaking. "I don't know why I'm scared. I know you're my friends and you'll take care of me."

Hammond bent forward, placing a hand on Daniel's nape. "We'll certainly do that, son," he said assuredly.

Daniel lifted his head and smiled tremulously up at Jack. "You can put me down, Jack. I'm okay now."

Jack gave him a last pat on the back then set him on his own feet and stood and stretched.

"Make a hole!" a voice yelled from outside the infirmary door.

Teal'c pulled Daniel to his side as the doors flew open and a gurney was pushed through, the man on it writhing and screaming in agony. Blood covered the man's face and legs and Jack shuddered inwardly as he saw bone sticking through the torn cloth of the man's pants.

"Lieutenant Mason," Sam said. "He and SG 10 were on a meet and greet on 787 today."

"Looks like more than a meet and greet happened," Jack snapped.

"You could say that, sir," a voice at his side said and Jack turned to see Colonel Jim Pearson at his side. "They ambushed us. Pretended everything was all friendly and neighborly then jumped us on our way back to the gate."

"Why?" Jack asked. "What happened?"

"Damned if I know," Pearson growled. "But I'm taking a team back there ASAP to find out."

"Not until you've been debriefed and we send a MALP through, Colonel," Hammond interjected. "I'll see you and the rest of your team in the briefing room in one hour. In the meantime, get yourselves checked out."

"Yes, sir." Pearson motioned the rest of his team in.

"Okay, Daniel, let's go-" Jack glanced down to where he'd last seen Daniel. "Um, Teal'c, where's the kid?"

Teal'c followed his gaze. "I do not know, O'Neill. He was right beside me a moment ago."

"Colonel, can you come in here?" Janet Fraiser's voice came from behind the curtained cubicle to which Mason had been taken and Jack trotted across, snatching the curtain aside hurriedly. "Daniel! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

Daniel was up on the gurney, his arms wrapped around the shoulders of a now quiet Lieutenant Mason. The child's face was white and his eyes were closed.

Jack stepped forward and grabbed Daniel up in his arms, feeling the child go limp as he did so. "Doc!" he yelled, turning to where Fraiser stood as if frozen to the spot, her gaze fixed on Mason's leg.

"Oh my God!" Carter said from behind him and Jack turned back to the gurney. Mason's trouser leg was still bloodstained but now there was no sign of the ugly wound that had been there just minutes before.

"He healed me," Mason whispered. He pulled himself up to rest on his elbows. "Is he okay?"

Jack felt Daniel stir in his arms and looked down to see wide blue eyes blink slowly open. "Hey, kiddo," he said, emotion making his voice husky. "You shouldn't have done that."

"He was hurting," Daniel said. "I just wanted him to feel better."

Fraiser came over and put a hand on Daniel's forehead, the other wrapping around his wrist. "He seems okay," she said.

Jack sat Daniel astride his hip. "He's fine," he assured Mason, turning to carry Daniel from the cubicle, Fraiser scurrying along at his side.

"Um, sir, didn't Oma say that every time he did this…"

Jack froze in place. "Oh for crying out loud," he muttered.

Tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three

Becoming Daniel

"Are we going home?" Daniel asked quietly as Jack carried him into the elevator then placed him on the floor of the car and pushed the button for the parking garage level.

"Yep," Jack said flatly. He sighed then placed a hand on the boy's head and pressed gently till Daniel was looking up at him. "I want to get you as far away from injured Marines as possible," he added, smiling. "That intuitive Daniel Jackson need to help is still alive and well and living inside this much smaller head of yours."

"And you don't want me to be a kid for too long…"

"Well, no longer than necessary," Jack replied as the door opened. He took Daniel's hand and led him across to the checkpoint to sign out.

"Because you don't want to have to look after me for too long."

Jack shook his head and stopped walking. "Listen, if you still know me like I think you do, you know that I'm not good with this sort of stuff. Let's just get you home and maybe when we've both had some rest and something to eat we can discuss it a little more, okay?"

Daniel nodded agreeably enough and Jack continued over to the check-desk, signed out then led Daniel to his car.

"Um, this could be a problem," he said, unlocking the door and eyeing the passenger seat dubiously. "You really need a child seat or something."

Daniel shook his head. "I'm big enough to sit next to you," he said.

"How about we compromise? You sit in the back seat with a belt on and hopefully I won't get pulled over for not having a booster seat in the car."

"Okay."

Jack lifted him in, snapped on the seatbelt then climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Chez O'Neill, here we come," he murmured, shooting Daniel a reassuring smile through the rearview mirror.

Daniel smiled tremulously back at him, his arms wrapped around his middle in a gesture Jack remembered only too well.

"We'll be fine, buddy," Jack said.

~oOo~

By the time Jack pulled up in the driveway of his house, Daniel was fast asleep; his head canted against the window, his mouth partly open with thin line of drool trickling down his chin. Jack gave momentary thought to the camera he kept in the glove box of the car but then decided against it. This wasn't some cute kid to be photographed every time he did some adorable thing. He was Daniel and he'd been to hell and back and it wasn't something Jack had the stomach to make light of. Instead he switched off the engine then climbed out and quietly opened the rear passenger door, unbuckling the seatbelt deftly and managing to pull Daniel into his arms without waking him.

He got the door open with only a small amount of difficulty and the juggling of sleeping child from arms to hip then carried Daniel through to the guest bedroom and put him under the covers of the bed Daniel had slept in so many nights in the past.

Daniel rolled to his side as Jack laid him down but simply tucked one hand under his cheek, chewed at his lip and slept on.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jack backed out of the room and closed the door gently behind him. There was an aching hole in his stomach that called for food so he went to the kitchen and made a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, grabbed a bag of chips and a beer then settled down on the sofa in front of the TV, finding a repeat of Star Trek on Sci-Fi to watch. It was mind-numbingly familiar and within minutes he was asleep, the food and beer forgotten on the table.

"Nooooo!"

Jack jerked awake, the beer bottle tumbling to the floor as his foot hit it. He sat upright then bent forward and retrieved the now half-empty bottle grimacing at the smell now permeating the room as beer soaked into the carpet. He scrubbed a hand over his face, unsure now what had woken him so suddenly.

"Jack?"

Jack turned and saw Daniel standing in the doorway, tears trickling down his face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Daniel walked across and climbed up to sit next to him. "I think I had a bad dream," he said. He wrinkled his nose. "Floor stinks," he said.

"Yeah, sorry." Jack ruffled Daniel's hair. "Wanna talk about the dream?" he asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Can't remember it now. Sorry if I woke you up."

"Nah, I was watching TV. You hungry?"

"I guess."

"What do you want?"

Daniel shrugged again. "What did I eat before?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "What didn't you eat would be a better question." He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, frowning at how little there actually was inside. "I need to go to the supermarket," he said.

"We could order in," Daniel replied.

"Nah, you should be eating proper food," Jack said, closing the door. "Vegetables, meat, chicken, fruit, all the good stuff." He grabbed his keys then looked askance at Daniel's bare feet. "You need shoes anyway. Let's go."

By the time they stumbled back in the door of the house two hours later, jack wasn't sure who was more exhausted – he or Daniel. Despite the nap they'd both taken, the shopping trip had been enervating and the crowds overwhelming for the small boy, who'd clung to Jack's hand or pants leg the entire journey around the stores. When Jack had crouched beside him to try the new shoes on for size, he'd seen Daniel's eyes looked wide with something akin to panic in their depths. "What's wrong, buddy?" he'd asked. "You used to like going shopping, looking at all the new books and stuff."

"Did I? I guess it's a little scary now. Everyone looks too big."

"Yeah, I guess I can understand that." Jack had patted Daniel on the shoulder then led him to the checkout to pay for the shoes then out to the car, settling him in the back with the groceries piled around him on the seat.

He watched now as Daniel pottered around the kitchen, opening and closing cupboard doors, putting things away on the shelves he could reach. "Do you remember being here before?" he asked as Daniel handed him some items that went on the top shelf of the fridge.

"I think so," Daniel replied. He eyed the apples in the vegetable crisper. "I'm hungry now. Can I have one of those?"

"Sure." Jack handed it to him and grinned as Daniel took a huge bite and smiled up at him.

"'s good," Daniel mumbled. He swallowed then pointed to the photo of him and Jack that stood atop the kitchen dresser. "That's me and you," he said.

"Yep, taken just after we came back from Abydos together," Jack said.

Daniel opened the back door and looked out. "Where's your dog?"

"I don't have a dog."

"You said one time when we were somewhere where we couldn't get home in time, 'I should have put the dog out.'," Daniel said, munching on another bite of apple.

"I did? Oh." Jack wracked his brain for the memory but came up blank. There'd been more than one occasion when SG-1 had been stuck somewhere and it hadn't looked like they'd ever get home. "I was just joking," he added, seeing Daniel still looking puzzled. "I wish I had a dog," he said, turning to get the makings for dinner out. "I like dogs more than a lot of people."

"Me too," Daniel replied. He tossed the apple core in the bin then climbed up to kneel on the chair next to Jack. "Can I have one?"

"A dog? Um, no. I'm never here long enough to look after one."

Daniel's face fell and he reached out and picked up a potato, picking at one the eyes with a small fingernail. "You gave Cassie a dog," he said softly. "You told her it was an Earth rule."

Jack shook his head in bemusement. Daniel's memories seemed so piecemeal still. "I know. Sorry. Look, maybe once you've been back a while we can think about it."

"Okay." Daniel sniffled then wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

'Crap!' Jack cursed himself for making the boy cry. "Wanna help me make dinner?" he asked. "Then we can watch National Geographic on TV, okay?"

"Okay," Daniel agreed readily, giving Jack a watery smile.

Obviously, Jack decided, his emotions were as mercurial as his memories. "Good. Here, shell the peas. I could have bought frozen but these taste better." He gave a silent sigh of relief as Daniel happily bent to his appointed task.

~oOo~

"Good, huh?" Jack grinned as Daniel picked up his bowl and licked the ice cream from around the inside edge, a broad white milky mustache adorning his lips when he raised his head.

Daniel nodded enthusiastically.

"Want more?"

"Uh uh, I'm stuffed. Thanks for making dinner, Jack. Can we watch TV now?"

"Sure, just for an hour though then bedtime, okay?" Jack put the dishes in the dishwasher then led the way into the living room and turned on the TV.

Daniel clambered up next to him on the sofa and the next hour was spent in intense conversation about the show which happily enough happened to be about the Pyramids. It was plainly obvious that most of the adult Daniel's knowledge remained implanted as the small boy prattled knowledgably about what he was seeing on the screen. This mini version of his best friend was definitely an enigma, Jack decided, listening with only half an ear to the child's explanations, more interested in simply taking mental notes and learning what made this little Daniel still his Daniel.

Eventually though the program ended and Jack shooed him off to bed, following him up a few minutes later with a glass of water. He tucked him in then, on impulse, bent and kissed the child on the forehead, not too surprised to feel Daniel's arms wind around his neck and hug him as he did so.

"Night, Jack."

"Night, Daniel. Sweet dreams,"

Daniel nodded, rolled onto his side and was asleep in minutes.

Jack went downstairs and locked up. He was tired himself still, he realized. An early night for once definitely wouldn't hurt.

~oOo~

It felt like he'd only just closed his eyes when a crash woke him. Startled, heart in his throat, he rolled from the bed, not even taking time to pull on his jeans or shirt. "Daniel!" he yelled as he ran towards the guest room and shoved open the door, sending it slamming back against the wall. "Daniel, where the hell are you?" he called, seeing the room was empty.

"Down here, Jack. Come quick. She's hurt!"

Tracking Daniel's voice to the back door, Jack took off at a run, almost sliding on the kitchen tiles in his barefoot haste. He opened the back door then stopped, feeling his mouth drop open in surprise as he saw Daniel, still in pajamas, sitting cross-legged on the porch with something that looked brown and dirty and hairy curled up in his lap. "What the hell- Daniel, put that thing down! It's liable to bite you!" Jack reached down, one hand gripping hold of Daniel's shoulder; the other grabbing what he now realized was a mangy-looking cat by the scruff of its neck.

"Don't, Jack, she's hurt," Daniel cried, wriggling free of Jack's restraining hand and wrapping both arms around the animal's scrawny neck. He put his face atop the cat's head. "Don't feel bad," he crooned. "We'll help you feel better."

"Ah, Daniel, don't," Jack warned. He held his breath, waiting for the cat to suddenly jump up rejuvenated but it simply meowed sadly and rubbed the top of its head against Daniel's chin. Jack released his breath, "Guess it doesn't work on animals," he said.

"I can keep her, right, Jack?" Daniel asked, rubbing a hand up and down the cat's bony back. "She's not a dog."

"How do you know it's a she?" Jack asked. The cat turned mournful green eyes on him and he couldn't resist giving the matted head a pat.

"She's got a collar and it says, Lissy, on it," Daniel replied, lifting a small medallion and showing it.

"Um, if she's got a collar, buddy, it means she belongs to someone. We can keep her here till we find her home but you'll have to give her back when we do."

Daniel's lower lip trembled minutely then he set his jaw firmly. "Well, if she belongs to someone they aren't taking very good care of her," he snapped. Lissy stiffened as if at his tone, small claws digging into Daniel's pajamas, and Daniel whispered, "Sorry, Lissy, I'm not mad at you."

"Well," Jack said fairly, "she might have been lost for a while. Look, we'll bring her into the laundry room and give her milk and in the morning we'll see if we can find out where she lives, all right?"

Daniel nodded his agreement and let Jack lift the cat from his lap. Standing up, he brushed the dirty cat hair from his pajamas and smiled ruefully up at Jack. "Sorry she wrecked the pajamas you got me. She didn't mean to."

"No biggie. Clothes wash." 'So do cats', he added mentally, wrinkling his nose at the unadulterated smell of eau de unwashed cat. He shepherded Daniel inside then followed him through to the laundry room and left boy and cat there while he went back to the kitchen for a bowl and milk. When he returned he found Daniel standing bare-assed naked while Lissy bedded down on his pajamas.

"I figured they were already dirty and they smell like me so I thought they might help her sleep," Daniel said disingenuously.

Jack sighed. "Yeah, I guess." He poured milk into the bowl and then led Daniel out of the room and back to his bed. "Stay in bed this time," he warned as he bestowed another kiss on the blond head. "If you hear something you need to know about, yell out for me, okay?"

Daniel nodded obediently. "Thanks, Jack. I will. You know, maybe Lissy's owner doesn't really want her."

Jack grimaced inwardly at the hopeful tone in the child's voice. "Maybe," he allowed. "We'll see. Now sleep."

"Okay. Night, Jack."

"Night, Daniel."

As Jack made his way back to bed, he wondered ruefully just how many more changes finding Daniel again would bring about in his life. From Colonel to surrogate father to cat foster owner in just a day or two. He had an awful feeling this was just the beginning.

tbc


End file.
